Meet Results

WAVERLY, Iowa — Ashley Dingels (Gibbon, Minn.) will be one of the first two admit that Thursday's four-event effort in the first day of the heptathlon at the NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships was a bit hectic.

That showing, however, which included third-place efforts in the 100 hurdles (16.03) and shot put (39-1/4) and a fourth-place showing in the high jump (5-5) — and left her less than 100 points behind first-day leader Jillian Crandall of UW-River Falls — was nothing compared to what the Saint Mary's University senior went through Friday.

Not only did Dingels complete the final three events in the heptathlon, but she also took part in the open high jump competition.

Just another four-event day, right?

Not quite.

This time around, those four events were crammed into the time frame of three, meaning Dingels had to implement a skill not too many heptathletes possess — the ability to juggle.

And juggle she did.

Dingels found just enough time between throws in the javelin portion of the heptathlon to squeeze in clearing jumps of 5-3, 5-5 and 5-7 to place fourth in the open high jump, earning the SMU senior the third All-American honor of her career.

"It was a tough day," admitted Dingels, who finished with 4,500 points in placing ninth in the heptathlon, missing out on an All-American double by 15 points. "It's hard to do so many events in such a short amount of time, but it was also nice to be that busy, because I didn't have a lot of time to think about anything, I just went out and did what I had to do."

"To do what Ashley did (Friday) is pretty impressive," said SMU coach Kirk Nauman, who, along with assistant coach Ward Berndt shuttled Dingels between the high jump and the javelin events. "A lot of people double (compete at nationals in two events), but not too many can do it like Ashley did. Doubling in events like the 100 and the 200 is a far cry from the heptathlon and the high jump — especially when both events are happening at the same time."

Dingels was hoping to come away with one All-American finish when she arrived at Wartburg College on Wednesday, but the route was actually reversed from what she expected.

"I'm very happy with my high jump — I never even thought about top four,  I was hoping to just be in the top eight," said Dingels, who cleared the 5-7 mark in the high jump for the third time this season. "But I'm a little disappointed in my heptathlon —  I wanted to make top three and I missed that pretty badly.

"Things worked opposite of what I figured they would," continued Dingels. "All in all, I guess I'm pretty happy with the way things turned out."

So is Nauman — who will be the first to admit he's going to miss his multi-event superstar.

"Ashley's had a great career, not only in track and field, but volleyball as well," said Nauman of Dingels, who leaves SMU as a three-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference volleyball performer, not to mention a five-time NCAA Division III track and field national qualifier and three-time All-American. "She's leaving Saint Mary's as the Cardinals' best track and field athlete — and in my opinion, one of the best athletes this school has ever seen."